Giving up on what you always thought you'd do?

I have been set on science all my life, did all the competitions and olympiads, the extra curricular, the science club, Bio, chem, maths a-levels. Got on the med track, volunteered. Now I'm coming to the end of year 12 and realising medicine is not what I want to do at all. I spent about a week thinking I'd apply for biology instead, but now I'm even doubting that. I just don't know how interested I actually am in science careers. I like to study it to an extent, but I can't see myself being happy in many science careers.

Now I'm thinking I might do something like law, or maybe anthropology, both of which have really piqued my interest in the past, the latter also having a science component. But I feel a strange guilt about it, everybody in my life, myself included, have always thought I would go on to do science. My mum always says how proud she is that I'm going down that road. There's probably also some internalised STEM superiority, feels like I'm going for a lesser degree, which is absolutely not the case I know. I don't really know what I'm getting at, just verbalising my feelings.

Any advice?

Reply 1

Sinnoh

22

Original post by LividOwl9

I have been set on science all my life, did all the competitions and olympiads, the extra curricular, the science club, Bio, chem, maths a-levels. Got on the med track, volunteered. Now I'm coming to the end of year 12 and realising medicine is not what I want to do at all. I spent about a week thinking I'd apply for biology instead, but now I'm even doubting that. I just don't know how interested I actually am in science careers. I like to study it to an extent, but I can't see myself being happy in many science careers.

Now I'm thinking I might do something like law, or maybe anthropology, both of which have really piqued my interest in the past, the latter also having a science component. But I feel a strange guilt about it, everybody in my life, myself included, have always thought I would go on to do science. My mum always says how proud she is that I'm going down that road. There's probably also some internalised STEM superiority, feels like I'm going for a lesser degree, which is absolutely not the case I know. I don't really know what I'm getting at, just verbalising my feelings.

Any advice?

If you were to do biology at uni, that wouldn't 'lock you in' to any specific career. What you choose to do isn't decided by what your degree certificate says.
Take it one step at a time. Study the thing you'd most want to spend 3 years studying, then once that's done, do what you'd rather do when the time comes.

Reply 2

harrysbar

21

Original post by LividOwl9

I have been set on science all my life, did all the competitions and olympiads, the extra curricular, the science club, Bio, chem, maths a-levels. Got on the med track, volunteered. Now I'm coming to the end of year 12 and realising medicine is not what I want to do at all. I spent about a week thinking I'd apply for biology instead, but now I'm even doubting that. I just don't know how interested I actually am in science careers. I like to study it to an extent, but I can't see myself being happy in many science careers.

Any advice?

I think it's good you realised early on that medicine is not for you. As for the rest of it, maybe you are overthinking? You should just do a degree in the subject that interests you the most without thinking that you have to have a career in it. If you did a Biology degree, for example, you could later convert to law and wouldn't be at a disadvantage compared to law students when it came to getting a training contract - it would just take an extra year to get to your goal. Likewise, there are many graduate schemes that want graduates of any discipline, like the NHS General Management Scheme, the Civil Service plus many private companies.

Reply 3

McGinger

18

When in-person Uni Open Days resume in the autumn, go to as many as you can - and book yourself at least 3 Subject Talks at each one.

These will explain in detail what that subject is about, what the course involves and the structure of the degree at that University. In the meantime you may be able to find some recorded talks on Uni websites and on YouTube.

You dont need to worry about 'disappointing' people - parents try to be supportive whatever you want to do, and if you sit your family down now and explain why you have 'cooled' on Medicine then they'll start to adjust their focus. This is better than leaving it until later. You could use the 'wanting to go to Open Days' as part of this explanation/discussion.

Giving up on what you always thought you'd do?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you